School Profile · Poway
Pacific Coast Academy: Kids show up here — absenteeism is half the state rate. Test scores are still catching up.
Pacific Coast Academy's strongest numbers are the quiet ones: attendance and discipline. The academic picture is still developing — and culture is usually where that starts.
13915 Danielson Street #103, 92064 (opens in new tab)·Dehesa Elementary·Poway·Grades K-12·6,760 students·38% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(619) 215-0704·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
45
🤝 Culture First · Developing
ranked #2,288 statewide · #3 of 5 in Dehesa Elementary
Pacific Coast Academy scores 45 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 60th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “41% proficient” and call it done. Pacific Coast Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Poway, where one in three students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 1.6% chronic absenteeism — versus 17.9% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.
As a charter, Pacific Coast Academy enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
18%
24%
58%
Grade 3 · 42% proficient
24%
24%
52%
Grade 4 · 48% proficient
19%
33%
48%
Grade 5 · 52% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding holds steady across grades; the floor rises 9.9pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
16.8%
State 21.3%
4.5pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
41.4%
State 42.7%
1.2pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+1.3pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
1.6%
State 17.9%
16.3pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.0%
State 1.6%
1.6pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask how the school built its attendance culture — and what the academic plan looks like from here.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Pacific Coast Academy
45
This school
→
Middle
Cabrillo Point Academy
47
→
Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Planning ahead? 2 licensed preschools near this school →
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 57
Pomerado Elementary
Poway Unified · 2.4 mi
Solid
58/100
Midland Elementary
Poway Unified · 1.8 mi
Solid
58/100
Garden Road Elementary
Poway Unified · 1.4 mi
Solid
53/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic31.1%
White52.9%
Asian3.0%
Black1.4%
Other11.6%
GenderFemale 50.4%Male 49.5%Non-binary 0.1%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 38.3% (26pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
6,760
5,560 above CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
TK status unconfirmed
No TK enrollment is on file with the state for this school — that isn't the same as “no TK.” Confirm directly with the district.
Student-Teacher Ratio
36:1
15 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$25,766
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$52,070 – $113,960
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Pacific Coast Academy in Poway, 47.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 21.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Pacific Coast Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 26.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (31.0% Math proficient); White students (53.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 24.6 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 1,337 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · Disabilities−24.6pp
30.8% vs 55.3% overall · n=375
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−12.2pp
10.4% vs 22.6% overall · n=375
Math · Disabilities−19.8pp
17.9% vs 37.7% overall · n=375
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−7.7pp
9.8% vs 17.6% overall · n=375
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income1,337 tested
ELA 47.4%·Math 31.0%· +26.1pp vs district
White1,862 tested
ELA 53.1%·Math 37.8%· +5.1pp vs district
Hispanic1,048 tested
ELA 48.2%·Math 30.9%· +23.8pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.
Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 11.5pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +14.9pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$149K
$64K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.03M
$374K above CA median
Bachelor's+
54%
19pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
14.3 years avg experience
286 teachers · 0% second-year
Teacher Credentials
63% fully credentialed
Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
16.8%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 46th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
41.4%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 49th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
+1.3pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 48th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
1.6%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 77th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.0%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 63th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 650 | 18% | 24% | 30% | 28% | 42% | −1 |
| Grade 4 | 594 | 24% | 24% | 25% | 26% | 48% | +4 |
| Grade 5 | 599 | 19% | 33% | 21% | 27% | 52% | +4 |
| Grade 6 | 560 | 18% | 35% | 29% | 18% | 53% | +6 |
| Grade 7 | 481 | 22% | 36% | 23% | 19% | 58% | +10 |
| Grade 8 | 425 | 22% | 41% | 21% | 16% | 63% | +17 |
| Grade 11 | 145 | 35% | 38% | 15% | 12% | 73% | +26 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 650 | 14% | 23% | 28% | 34% | 37% | −8 |
| Grade 4 | 594 | 12% | 26% | 33% | 28% | 39% | −3 |
| Grade 5 | 599 | 13% | 17% | 25% | 45% | 30% | −5 |
| Grade 6 | 561 | 16% | 18% | 30% | 37% | 34% | −1 |
| Grade 7 | 480 | 20% | 20% | 32% | 28% | 40% | +6 |
| Grade 8 | 425 | 24% | 20% | 25% | 32% | 44% | +11 |
| Grade 11 | 145 | 25% | 16% | 24% | 35% | 41% | +17 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 1,194 | 16% | 30% | 46% | 8% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 1,337 | 47.4% | +26 | +9 |
| White | 1,862 | 53.1% | +5 | −9 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 1,048 | 48.2% | +24 | +9 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Coast Academy ← | — | 45 | 16.8% | 41.4% | +1.3 | 0.0% |
| Pomerado Elementary | 2.4 mi | 58 | 35.3% | 59.2% | −14.5 | 1.2% |
| Midland Elementary | 1.8 mi | 58 | 37.5% | 61.8% | +1.6 | 1.5% |
| Garden Road Elementary | 1.4 mi | 53 | 34.4% | 61.9% | −28.3 | 0.5% |
| California average | — | 43 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #3361 → #1889 → #2037 → #2092 → #2288
What we can't show
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Pacific Coast Academy a good elementary school?
Pacific Coast Academy has a Scope Score of 45 out of 100, placing it in the 60th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #2,288 statewide. 16.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.5 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Pacific Coast Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 41.4% of students at Pacific Coast Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 16.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 24.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 16.8% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 3,686 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Pacific Coast Academy rank in California?
Pacific Coast Academy ranks #2,288 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 60th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Pacific Coast Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Pacific Coast Academy increases by 1.3 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Pacific Coast Academy?
1.6% of students at Pacific Coast Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.0%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Pacific Coast Academy compare to other schools in Poway?
Pacific Coast Academy scores 45/100 (60th percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 6,760 students. Use the schools in Poway page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Pacific Coast Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Pacific Coast Academy in Poway, 47.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 21.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Pacific Coast Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 26.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (31.0% Math proficient); White students (53.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 24.6 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 1,337 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.